Cuthbert Malajila
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Cuthbert Lifasi Malajila | ||
| Date of birth | 3 October 1985 | ||
| Place of birth | Rimuka, Kadoma, Zimbabwe | ||
| Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10+1⁄2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Black Leopards | ||
| Number | 28 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Western Pirates | |||
| Young Swallows | |||
| 2004 | David Whitehead | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2005–2007 | Chapungu United | 29 | (25) |
| 2007–2008 | Highlanders | 42 | (16) |
| 2008–2010 | Dynamos | 20 | (27) |
| 2010–2011 | Club Africain | 4 | (0) |
| 2011 | → Al Akhdar (loan) | (1) | |
| 2011 | Dynamos | (4) | |
| 2012–2013 | Maritzburg United | 41 | (15) |
| 2013–2019 | Mamelodi Sundowns | 64 | (18) |
| 2016–2017 | → Bidvest Wits (loan) | 25 | (4) |
| 2019– | Black Leopards | 4 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2008– | Zimbabwe | 31 | (9) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 23:22, 19 November 2019 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 6 March 2017 | |||
Cuthbert Malajila (3 October 1985 in Rimuka Kadoma, Mashonaland West) is a Zimbabwean footballer who plays as a forward for Premier Soccer League side Black Leopards in South Africa. He also plays for the Zimbabwe national football team.[1]
Club
He started at Chapungu United[2] before moving in 2006 to Highlanders and then to Dynamos Harare. While playing for Highlanders, he scored a hat-trick in a match against Masvingo United, with Highlanders winning the match 4–0.[3] He won the Golden Boot in the top division of Zimbabwean football in 2007.[4]
Malajila had a trial at Belgian club Cercle Brugge, but it ended with the club declining to offer him a contract.[5] He returned to Zimbabwe and to Dynamos afterward, and stated that his focus would be on winning the Golden Boot and in helping his club.[6] He stated that his long-term dream was still on earning a transfer abroad. The striker left his native Zimbabwe in summer 2010 and signed a professional contract of 3 years with the Tunisian side Club Africain in August 2010.[7]
Malajila became the first Zimbabwean to play professional football in Libya after signing for First Division side Al Akhdar on a six-month loan.[8] On 22 January 2012, he completed a move to South African Premier Soccer League side Maritzburg United after the two parties agreed on a transfer fee for the player.[9] In July 2013, Malajila agreed to join Mamelodi Sundowns. He made his Sundowns debut in the following August against Bloemfontein Celtic and scored his first goal for the club in the same match.[1]
International
As of June 2016, Malajila has made 17 appearances for the Zimbabwe national team. His debut came in 2008 in a 2010 FIFA World Cup/2010 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Guinea. He scored his first goal for Zimbabwe on his second cap against Namibia, also a 2010 qualifier.[1]
